"When a superior man hears of the Tao, he immediately begins to embody it. When an average man hears of the Tao, he half believes it, half doubts it. When a foolish man hears of the Tao, he laughs out loud. If he didn't laugh, it wouldn't be the Tao. Thus it is said: The path into the light seems dark, the path forward seems to go back, the direct path seems long, true power seems weak, true purity seems tarnished, true steadfastness seems changeable, true clarity seems obscure, the greatest person seems unsophisticated, the greatest love seems indifferent, the greatest wisdom seems childish. The Tao is nowhere to be found. Yet it nourishes and completes all things." Tao-te Ching - Chapter 41
Personal Thoughts on the Tao
What then is Tao? (pronounced in English, 'dow', as in 'down').Tao is a system of thought, philosophy or belief that evolved in China 4-5000 years ago. The Tao-te Ching is a formulation of that ancient system recorded from 600 BC. It outlines in poetic stanzas the Way (Tao) or path for the pursuit of virtue. Lao Tze of course didn't invent Tao, he was just the mouthpiece for the reception of its message in his time. It works like this: First, the vessel for any prophecy is prepared, by good manners, practice of the art and of imagination. Then the message is received, through the prepared senses of the vessel, namely; devotee, or artist.
Lao Tze himself is thought to be an amalgam of three different authors, and the Tao-te Ching to have been added to over a number of centuries by various disciples of Tao. To a follower of the Way this will be no surprise; the fluidity and nature of the Tao lends itself to such necessary reinterpretation. So it is with Tao, the Way, or its sister, Te, Virtue. It remains formless, malleable, timeless and above all elusive.
Yet "The Tao that can be named is not the real Tao" (Tao-te Ching, stanza 1).
If one looks at the Tao straight on it disappears. Only at the periphery of spiritual vision, in moments of lassitude, weakness, or conversely of power, does it reveal itself.
The Tao just is. That is part of its beauty.